SEARCA in the News

CREATED by a team from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), HEAL-PH mobile application bagged the top prize at the "Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet" (FLExPHD) app development competition. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said UPLB's Team M1R4G3, with six members, developed HEAL-PH to help students develop healthy eating habits patterned after the planetary health diet (PHD). Val Randolf Madrid, Team M1R4G3 representative, explained that the HEAL-PH app can recognize food from images and score health points to help eaters evaluate their choices. "It was really fun. As… Read more

TO work on promoting agricultural innovation and climate-smart technologies, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) inked ties with Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock) to collaborate on the Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN). According to SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, the RAIN, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was launched at Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on June 21, 2023. Also representing SEARCA at the launch were Sharon Malaiba, unit head for partnerships; Beatrisa Martinez, executive coordinator, Office of the Director; and Leah Lyn Domingo, public… Read more

The Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) has released its June 2023 issue, featuring insightful articles and research papers shedding light on key agricultural and development issues in Asia, with a spotlight on the valuable heritage of the contested West Philippine Sea. AJAD is an international refereed journal published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the latest edition covers diverse topics such as domestic investments in agriculture, innovative growth models, and the preservation of heritage in the West Philippine Sea. Additionally, the journal includes three… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: An international journal published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) featured a study on valuing heritage in the disputed West Philippine Sea and other new Southeast Asian studies in its June 2023 issue. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) also presented fresh perspectives on Thailand's and Indonesia's domestic investments in agriculture, Singapore's successful "leapfrogging" model of growth, including three other articles on various Asian countries and two book reviews. AJAD publishes articles resulting from empirical, policy-oriented, or institutional development studies, as well… Read more

To strengthen research collaborations, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) presented its initiatives and programs on education and training in agriculture at the Philippines-New Zealand Program Launch here. The program launch was held at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) chancellor on June 20, 2023. SEARCA joined the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center and the UPLB. During the event, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell discussed his country's present and potential engagement for global research with the Philippines. Also covered during… Read more

It is common knowledge that the agricultural value chain in the Philippines needs to be leveled up given the high post-harvest losses across a big number of crops grown locally. Such was affirmed in an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released in June 2022 titled "Analysis of Fruit and Vegetable Value Chains in the Philippines." The partner for the ADB report was the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, an institution with in-depth knowledge on various issues affecting Philippine agriculture. Although the report covered tomato, onions and mango, it can give us an overview of… Read more

Delegats from the Cagayan State University, the Nueva Vizcaya State University, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the Visayas State University were sent to Thailand for a training program on practical bioinformatics skills for plant and animal whole genome sequencing data. Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn Gregorio said the participation of the delegates in the training was made possible through the support of the center's Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) grant. In addition to the four project-sponsored delegates, two additional UPLB… Read more

To explore research on renewable energy (RE), a faculty member from the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) attended a one-month faculty attachment at the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University in Indonesia. Engineer Melissa Medina, an instructor at NEUST College of Agriculture and who has undergone the attachment from May 1 to 30, 2023, was hosted by the Department of Mechanical and Biosystem Engineering at IPB, with Dr. Edy Hartulistiyoso, head of the department, as her mentor. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) director, said the center has facilitated… Read more

THE Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) expressed its intention to collaborate with the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in the field of agriculture and scholarship. Dr. P. Adbul Salam, AIT School of Environment, Resources and Development dean, visited SEARCA on May 26, 2023 to better understand the center's undertakings, particularly its graduate scholarships and agricultural innovations. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said the AIT through Salam expressed interest in becoming eligible for membership in the SEARCA-initiated Southeast Asian University Consortium (UC) for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources. "The… Read more

An alternative to petroleum wax coatings that make fresh fruits last longer is now available from local startup HS InnoTech Inc. (HSII). Manufactured by University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-based inventors, Fruitect consists of agricultural waste-derived edible coating formulations that delay the ripening of mangoes and bananas. With its Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) supported HSII to start the operation of its pilot plant in UPLB in Laguna. Awarded in 2022, the SEARCA grant funded the fabrication of support structures and test runs… Read more